“They will have it — they will print it even, in black and white — that ‘Tilbury Town’ actually represents Gardiner Town, in the flesh and in the spirit. They will have it that the ‘House on the Hill,’ decayed and deserted, is Oaklands. I have E. A. R.’s word for it that this is entirely wrong and absurd, though he says that Gardiner ‘may be responsible, in a shadowy way, for Tilbury Town.’”

Thus wrote Laura E. Richards in her memoir of Edwin Arlington Robinson. We invite you to view this website and decide for yourself which local characters Robinson evoked in his poetry. You will see the places he saw, read his poems, and view photos of family and friends. We hope that these bits and pieces of local lore will inspire everyone to visit Gardiner, Maine, and walk the streets of Robinson’s hometown.

EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON
A Virtual Tour of Robinson's Gardiner, Maine

This website is maintained by the Gardiner Public Library (Anne E. Davis, Director)
152 Water Street, Gardiner, Maine 04345, and the Gardiner Library Association.

This website is sponsored by the Kennebec-Chaudière Heritage Commission and Maine Humanities Council,
the J. W. Robinson Welfare Trust Fund, the Gardiner Library Association, and the Gardiner Board of Trade.